Radio-frequency operated receiving system consuming zero standby power



P. w. RUSSELL ETAL 2,597,264 RADIO-FREQUENCY OPERATED RECEIVING SYSTEM CONSUMING ZERO STANDBY POWER Filed July 3, 1948 May 20, 1952 JNVENTOR. PH/u/P W-RUSSELL BY JOSEPH L- HIE/MN Patented May 20, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SYSTEM CONSUMING POWER ZERO STANDBY Phillip W. Russell and Joseph L. Harmon, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application July 3, 1948, Serial No. 36,914

3 Claims. (01. 315-156) The present invention relates to radiofrequency-operated receiving systems embodying relay means actuated upon by signals of predetermined carrier frequency which effect remote control of the relay means and power circuit means governed and controlled thereby.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a radio-frequency-operated receiving system including means adapted to successively modulate, step up and rectify signals of a received, predetermined carrier frequency, glow-discharge tube means adapted to be activated by thus changed signals, and relay circuit means controlled by the glow-discharge tube means to control actuation of the relay of the relay circuit means and power circuit means governed and controlled by such relay.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a radio-frequency-operated receiving system including means adapted to successively modulate, step up and rectify the signals of a received, predetermined carrier frequency, a glow-discharge-tube-controlled circuit with a glow-discharge tube of the three-element, cold-cathode type having its grid potentialized by the received, modulated, stepped-up and rectified signals, and a relay circuit controlled by the glow-discharge tube and adapted to effect controlled actuation of the relay of the relay circuit and power circuit means governed and controlled by such relay. A radio-frequency-operated receiving system of the type described above practically eliminates all standby power for the system by the use of crystal detectors and transformer means in combination with cold cathode type glow-discharge tube means, and thus oiiers reliability and economy together with sufficient sensibility to permit proper operation of the system at reasonably long distances.

A further object of the invention, therefore, is the provision of a radio-frequency-operated receiving system including a crystal detector for modulating received radio frequency signals, transformer means for stepping up the modulated radio frequency signals, a rectifying circuit for rectifying the modulated, stepped up radio frequency signals, including the grid of a threeelement, cold-cathode type glow-discharge tube, and a relay control circuit including th glowdischarge tube and activated by firing of the glow-discharge tube caused by changes in its grid potential.

The above and other incidental and additional objects and novel features of combination and relations of parts by which the objects in view 2 have been attained will appear and are set forth in detail in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates in diagrammatic form a practical embodiment of the invention, but it will be apparent as the specification proceeds that changes and modifications may be made in various ways without departing from the true spirit and broad scope of the invention.

In the drawing:

The single figure is a diagrammatic showing of a simplified radio circuit illustrating the present invention, utilizing modulated, stepped-up and rectified radio-frequency signals for control of a glow-discharge tube which activates and controls the relay of a relay-controlled power circuit.

Referring now in detail to the diagrammatic showing of the radio circuit, reference numeral 2 denotes the usual antenna of any of the well known types such as the single strand antenna or others well known in the art, which is suitably grounded through the primary radio frequency coil 3 of the input transformer 4. This input transformer includes a secondary radio-frequency coil 5 grounded and tuned by a variable conclenserJi, which is connected in parallel circuit to coil 5. The elements thus far described constitute a simple form of a tuned radio-frequency circuit for which any of the well known tuned circuits may be substituted. Condenser 6 and coil 5 have their one ends connected to one side of a crystal detector or demodulator 1 which has its other side connected to a fixed condenser 8 and one side of the primary coil 9 of a voltage stepup transformer IS. The other side of condenser 8 is connected to ground and to the other side of coil 9.

Step-up transformer H! has one end of its secondary coil ll connected to a crystal detector or demodulator I2 and the other end of such coil connected to one of the stationary resistance coils of a potentiometer l4 which is connected with a power line l5 by means of lead wires l6 and H.

The rectifier 12 has its free side connected to the grid l8 of a three-element, cold-cathode type glow discharge tube l9 which has its cathode 20 connected by the lead wire I! to power line l5 and its plate 2| connected to the one plate member of a fixed condenser 22, the other member of which is connected to the lead wire [6. Fixed condenser 22 is bridged by the coil member 23 of a relay 24, the switch member 25 of which controls a power circuit 26 directly connected with the power line l5. This power 3 circuit includes a plug member 21 for connec tion of the device to be actuated or driven with power circuit 26. When a radio-carrier-frequency signal is received in the antenna 2 and passed through coil 3, a correspondent current will be set up in the tuned secondary coil 5 and in the circuit, including the crystal detector or demodulator 1 and primary coil 9. This current which is a modulated frequency of the received carrier frequency sets up a correspondent current in a circuit including the secondary coil ll of step-up transformer 10, demodulator I 2, grid 18 of glowdischarge tube I9 and the fixed resistance coils of potentiometer M. The last-named, correspondent current, a rectified current, stepped up in voltage by the step-up transformer l0, changes the bias of grid l8 and thereby effects firing of the glow-discharge tube l9, thus closing a relay operating circuit which is fed by the power line I5 and includes the coldcathode type glow-discharge tube l9 and the coil member 23 of the relay 24. The current flow through coil member 23 effects closing of the relay which then closes the power circuit 26 including the relay switch member 25 and the plug member 27 to be used for connecting a device to be actuated upon with said power circuit.

The three-element, cold-cathode type glowdischarge tube I9 is preferably a gas triode glowdischarge tube which will fire and cease to fire at a grid potential difierence of one half to one volt and will operate on a current consumption of two microamperes.

The exemplified diagrammatic showing of the simplified radio circuit illustrating the invention has given highly satisfactory results with a carrier frequency of 50 megacycles and a modu lation frequency of 400 cycles obtained by using a demodulator 7, a silicon crystal diode #IN21B, detector or demodulator [2, a germanium crystal diode #IN34, transformer l0, an iron core interstate step-up transformer with a ratio 1/6, glow discharge tube I9, a gas triode glow discharge type #1021, and a supply voltage [5 of 115 volts, 60 cycles. The potentiometer 14 used included stationary resistor coils of 300,000 and 15,000 ohms and a variable resistor coil of 15,000 ohms. Condensers used had the following capacities:

Variable condenser 3:0-30 f. Variable condenser 5:050 f. Condenser 8:100 f. Condenser 22:4 f.

and the relay used was an advance type relay #860 with 10,000 ohms resistance.

A radio frequency operated receiving system of the type described above achieves the same reliability and economy offered by direct wire circuits as all standby power is fully eliminated and as the system has sufficient sensitivity at reasonably long distances.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In a standby power eliminating, radio-frequency-operated receiving system, a no-powerconsuming crystal detector circuit, a voltage step-up transformer coupling said circuits with each other and a circuit including a three-element cold cathode type gas discharge tube having its grid electrically connected with the second crystal detector circuit to control firing of said gas discharge tube by signals received and stepped up by the receiving system.

2. A standby power-eliminating radio-frequency-operated receiving system as described in claim 1, wherein said three-element glowdischarge tube consists of a gas triode discharge tube firing and ceasing to fire at a grid potential difference from one half to one volt and operating on a current consumption of about two microamperes.

3. In a standby power eliminating, radio-frequency-operated receiving system, a tuned, nopower-consuming, radio-frequency-receiving circuit, a first no-power-consuming radio-frequency-demodulating circuit connected to said receiving circuit and including a crystal detector, a second no-power-consuming demodulating circuit also including a crystal detector, a voltage step-up transformer coupling the first demodulating circuit with the second demodulating circuit and a circuit including a three-element, glowdischarge tube having a grid electrically connected with the second demodulating circuit to control firing of said glow-discharge tube and energizing of the circuit including said glow discharge tube.

PHILLIP W. RUSSELL. JOSEPH L. HARMON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 18,579 Ballantine Aug. 23, 1932 1,960,083 Cruise May 22, 1934 2,027,214 Wideroe Jan. 7, 1936 2,139,057 Brockstedt Dec. 6, 1938 2,151,170 Tellegen Mar. 21, 1939 2,238,279 Muller Apr. 15, 1941 2,387,472 Sontheimer Oct. 23, 1945 OTHER REFERENCES Air Corps Technical Order 08-10-150, dated Apr. 14, 1943. Copy available at A. F. Doc. Ref. & Res. Branch, Air Adj. General Rm. ID 168 Wash. D. C. 

